The secret life of handmade art dolls

Music

June 22, 2011

Just a quick note to let you know that, while the newsletter is all ready to go and the doll listings are finished, I'm waiting to announce a date for the update until the Canada Post strike is over. It looks like mail might resume here by the end of the week, but I want to be on the safe side to be sure that no one is waiting too long for a doll.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a video by my favourite new band, Mountain Main. I bought their beautiful album, Made the Harbor, while I was pregnant with my lovely and it still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy whenever I listen to it. I've always fantasized that I might sing gorgeous, lush harmonies in front of an olf-fashioned microphone, surrounded by candles while holed up in a sweet little house. Sadly, I can't sing. (The same reason I'll never share the stage with Nancy Wilson and rock out to 'Crazy on You', but that's a different fantasy...)

January 22, 2010

The other night, my dear friend Christina (who, like Tara, I met in grade seven - in fact I met them on the very same day) hosted a clothing swap. You know those clothes that you have that you still love but know you'll never wear again? Maybe you've outgrown them, physically or aesthetically, or maybe you're in the mood for something new but you don't want to spend a bunch of money. Well, if you get a roomful of people together who have roughly the same taste in clothing, this can be a great alternative to shopping. Personally, I loathe shopping: all the traipsing about from shop to shop exhausts me and the brightly lit change rooms seem as though they must have been invented by someone who truly hates women and wants us to feel bad about ourselves. But at Christina's, we had food and wine and music, and tried the clothes on in her non-threatening, lamp-lit bedroom. How civilized! I snagged some new-old sweaters, some very fly sunglasses, and this super-cute purse:

But would you believe when I say that my new prized possession was this Dolly Parton mug? Who would give this away? Some people, upon hearing of my love for Dolly, accuse me of being ironic. Not so! I know her appearance over the last few decades has made her rife for caricature, but I genuinely love a lot of her music and she's a very charming person. I once saw her interviewed and when asked if she supported gay marriage she said, "Of course - I don't see why y'all shouldn't suffer as much of the rest of us." Love her.

Though mostly known for her own music, Dolly has written over 3,000 songs, most of which have been performed by other musicians. If you, like me, felt somewhat assaulted by the high production value of Whitney Houston's ubiquitous version of I Will Always Love You back in the 90s (thought I admit the high note was impressive) you might like Dolly's original and much subtler version, which is so sweet it chokes me up. (And check out Porter Wagoner's crazily awesome hair & jacket combo at the beginning!

Finally, just a few quick things: I've decided to start posting replies to comments directly in the comments section rather than sending them by email. I do try to respond to all comments, but I don't always manage to. I thought this way, when people ask questions, the answers could be there for all to see, and I can also respond to a few comments at once rather than each one individually, in case there are common threads. But I do read each and every comment and I appreciate them all.

Also, the dolls for my next shop update are nearly all finished! The update will take place Wednesday, January 27th at 2:00 pm Eastern timeand will include 15 new dolls. I'll post the official banner announcement this weekend, and photos/ descriptions of all dolls over the next few days. Also, if you would like to receive an email reminder on the day of the update itself, you can always sign up for my newsletter; the badge is in the upper right-hand corner of this blog, just under the banner.

January 10, 2010

Here's a little video for anyone who might be feeling nostalgic for the holiday season now that we've all had to return to the prosaic realities of 'real' life, courtesy of my dear friends Tara and Matt. Tara is an actor and generally damn funny lady; we met on the first day of grade 7 in our hometown of Toronto over twenty (!!) years ago now. Matt is her dashing, rock-star husband from New Jersey, which makes him awesome because that also happens to be where my other husband, Bruce Springsteen, is from. (Yes, Mr. L knows - he's fine with it.)

They live way too far away in LA now, but, like the troopers they are, they make it back to the frozen North every year or so that we can all eat stinky French cheese and drain bottles of cheap red wine. They, along with my friend Jenna, played a beautiful song at my wedding and now they play for you! And in case you're feeling unsure that you have the minutes to spare, this little treat features an accordian, a paper martini, one of my all-time favourite Christmas songs (see the title of this post for clues) and a very handsome grey cat named Archie. And some Sam Adams. How could it possibly not be the greatest?

November 17, 2009

Sunday night we went to see two beautiful mavens of contemporary folk, Marissa Nadler and Alela Diane. They both have beautiful voices and are great songwriters, and Alela's concert was very stripped-down and pure, much like her c.d.. (It's interesting how some performers are very consistent live, whereas some do completely unexpected things in concert; I've seen Neko Case perform three times and each time was different; once she brought a Baltic women's choir onstage, once an eighty-year-old female yodelling champion. I love them both!) I hadn't heard much from Nadler before except one song which I loved called Diamond Heart. But having heard the recording didn't prepare me for seeing her perform it live, which actually brought tears to my eyes. She was very nervous and shy onstage, but when she sang this song, her voice was so clear and haunting, a word that gets overused these days, but is accurate in this case; it was perfect.

Here she is looking like an ethereal, gothy, desert fairy. I'll take that dress, please! And because I've somehow managed to delete my new playlist, to which I'd added that song, here she is singing it live so beautifully in what looks to be a pretty rinky-dink little cd shop; but still, she sounds amazing.

I'm busily working away on new dolls, ornaments and pendants for my next shop update which will take place as early in December as possible. But my back is starting to complain about all the sculpting and sanding of teeny tiny heads, so I can't push it too hard. Most of the new pieces are still in the early stages, but I have finished one little piece; this rather tragic-looking pendant: